Race Against the Clock
by Simplistic-Tyranny
Summary: He had failed her once, and wasn't about to fail her again.


This was actually written as a prose sample for an RP game I'm joining on dreamwidth, and after a bit of strong-arming, my friends coerced me into posting it here. I haven't written anything substantial in a _very_ long time, and I'm _terrible_ at prose since that's what naptime in English class was for. Not to mention Lassiter is such a complex individual that I honestly hope I brought his characterization justice.

Episode tag to 4.16 "_Mr. Yin Presents..._", from Lassie's point of view. I don't own Psych, as much as I wished I did have a stake in such awesomeness.

* * *

If there was anything that Carlton would learn after this nightmare was over, it was that it would be a cold day in hell before he would watch anything from Hitchcock's canon again.

As it were, they were racing against the clock. Yin had pulled a fast one on all of them, and in the process had led O'Hara right into his trap. Just like Mary Lightly had mentioned at the beginning of this wild goose chase, Yin had changed the rules, turning what the Detective had originally thought as an opportunity to catch the psychotic bastard into yet another sick game. And this time – it was personal.

Carlton couldn't hate himself anymore than he did in this very moment. As partners he and O'Hara trusted each other with their lives, and always had an unspoken promise to always have the other's back. She had proven herself to him in a variety of ways, from her extensive knowledge of police code upon her initial transfer to her deductive reasoning that even left _him_ stunned. Carlton couldn't deny that she was one hell of a homicide detective, and really good at what she does. But he couldn't shake the fact he had failed to protect her from Yin, failed to have her back while locked in a car with Henry Spencer, failed to be a partner when she probably needed one most.

What made matters worse, was _Spencer._ The damn psychic should have been several steps ahead of the bastard as usual, should have divined something that would have them capture Yin rather than sit around in the Chief's office like sitting ducks while a BOLO went out in hopes to locate O'Hara. He should be mad at Spencer, but seeing as the young individual had to make a decision to choose between O'Hara and his girlfriend, he felt that there was no point to add to the stress everyone already felt.

The clue came in at 3:50 in the morning, and Carlton couldn't decide that the desperation in Spencer's voice was out of pure exhaustion, or out of fear that they wouldn't make it in time. Juliet's voice over speakerphone lightened his mood a little, and he felt his heart immediately sink to the floor as the clue was given.

"_...I'll drop by, half-past four. My hands are on my face. Please come quick, or this could be messy – Shawn you can still save Abigail!"_

Perhaps the Head Detective had taught his Junior all too well how to be a good cop. They both knew the risks involved in their duty as officers of the law, and he knew she'd sacrifice her life to save the life of a civilian. _Damn it all_. Without a moment's hesitation the gears in his head were turning, he was running on pure adrenaline trying to find out just exactly where O'Hara was and what Yin was planning to do. He figured out right away that O'Hara's portrayal as Kim Novak in _Vertigo_ had something to do with the clue...but _what exactly_ was the question that begged to be answered.

"_I'll..._**drop **_by..."_

"_Instead of a bell tower it's uh...uh..."_

"_It's a Clock Tower! The clock tower!"_

That sick bastard had planned this all along. To choose between the civilian and the cop when the standard police procedure was to give civilians top priority. Carlton couldn't give a rat's ass about procedure right now. O'Hara was going to drop from the clock tower in the city in a half hour if someone didn't stop them. Without hesitation he grabbed his coat and began to storm out of the office.

"_Detective, wait!"_ He mentally cursed himself as he paused and fixed his blazer, giving his boss one final look before he walked out the door. _"A civilian has been taken as well, she must be given priority. If we had the slightest clue..."_

Carlton had already made his decision though. He had already failed O'Hara once and got her into this mess, like hell was he going to sit around and wait for a clue about Abigail Lytar's location to come in, wasting the precious time they had to save his partner. He wasn't about to fail Juliet again and lose one of the only friends he had.

"You have other units, Chief. I'll be going to get my partner now."


End file.
